West is east

Welcome to my neighbourhood in west London. Uxbridge Road in Shepherd’s Bush is a vibrant thoroughfare lined with shops, always thronging with people and filled with the oxygen of everyday life. It’s a multicultural district embracing people from around the world. A glance at some of the shop fronts reveal that the Middle East has left an impression on the area, with elegant signs in Arabic and colourful displays of produce.

In the midst of this is the stately blue of Bush Hall, a music venue with 19th century roots which sits next to the local mosque. Walk further down the road and find a small group of Somali shops, Polish supermarkets, Syrian restaurants, coffee shops, clothes stores – an entire urban community.